Is it ok to feed a four month old solids?

Question

I have a 17 week old baby who is very hungry all of the time! I am still breastfeeding her as normal but have introduced a mixture of 1/2 pureed banana 1 1/2 teaspoon s of baby rice and 30ml water at about 8.30pm as she gets hungry then, even though she is breastfed at 8 and then at 11.However I have read the dept of health recommend not giving solids until 6 months - am I damaging my baby??? So many conflicting advice around ...

Answer 1

First and foremost, I always say check with your pediatrician. Just realize that they will probably tell you that 6 months is when they want you to introduce solids because there is a supposed decreased risk of food allergies, etc.

Having said that, I was feeding my son baby oatmeal at 2 weeks; formula just wasn't satisfying him. He would suck down 8 oz every hour to hour and a half. Once I started the baby oatmeal (mixed with the formula so it was "soupy"), he was able to go about 3 hours between feedings. By the time he was 6 weeks old, he was eating Gerber Stage 2 baby food for breakfast, lunch and dinner (with formula at each meal and in between).

The rule of thumb is to start them on something "bland" at first (i.e. oatmeal and Gerber or Beechnut applesauce, oatmeal and the bananas, etc.). Additionally, you should only introduce one food at a time and try it for a few days to see if there is an allergic reaction. For example, when my brother was switching to solids, it turns out that his body couldn't handle the beta-carotene and therefore, he was turning orange! (I was 4 and thought it was WAAAY cool to have an Orange baby brother!). It just meant that if he had carrots at lunch he couldn't have them again for about 2 days; it gave his body time to digest and absorb the beta-carotene.

I can understand your confusion and you are correct, there are so many schools of popular thought as to what is best for baby. I tend to follow my instincts and "listen" to my son. It was obvious that he was still hungry and the formula wasn't going to do it; so, I started adding solids and he loved it. By 6 months, he was solely on table food and refused the baby food. He is healthy and thriving and doing so well (and at 18 months is the size of a 2 year old!) And yes, I did this much to the chagrine of my pediatrician and despite the "popular" views of no solids until 6 months. Besides, I always figure that other countries in the world don't have "Gerber" or "Beechnut" baby food, and therefore, what do they do? The babies eat what everyone else is eating, it's just "smooshed" up.

I hope this helps and don't stress that you are "damaging" your baby. Just listen to her and she'll tell you everything you need to know. =)

Answer 2

It is recommended that babies begin solid foods at 4 to 6 months of age. Generally, breastfed babies are told to start at 6 months while formula fed babies at 4 months. It really doesn't matter; what matters is how your baby is developed. You shouldn't feed solids to baby until he can: *hold his head, *the extrusion reflex fades away, *sit with support, *move foods to the back of the mouth, *gaining weight steadily, *has a growing appetite, *and shows curiosity about what you are eating. People do it too early out of lack of knowledge or because their baby's doctor told them to do so. Some think it will help babies sleep through the night but actually it hasn't been proven. Feeding a baby solids too soon can lower a woman's milk supply if she is nursing because baby won't be nursing as much. Babies need more breast milk and/or formula than anything else in the first year of life but once they hit around 6 months of age they begin to need solid foods as a compliment to their milk intake. This is different for premature babies or babies with special needs. There really aren't any pros to giving baby food early except maybe that he'll have more experience with a variety of foods at an earlier age.

Answer 3

It willl not hurt your baby to add the baby rice cereal to the milk. Not sure about the banana but if your little one is satisfied and not having problems it probably is ok. I firmly believe that at your child's age, if your baby is very hungry shortly after feeding, that it definitely is ok to add a little baby rice cereal to the milk.

Rice cereal is the most digestable one and with less known allergies than the others. Wait until baby is a bit older before adding other types baby cereal - barley and wheat should be tried last due to higher allergy risks.

Most professionals these days do recommend not giving solids until 6 month of age; then intoducing one food at a time to make sure the babe is not allergic to it.

Answer 4

You can give a child baby food starting at 4 months. Its recommended to wait till 6 months to avoid food allergies or atleast not find out they are allergic before they are old enough to fight off the reaction. You are still breast feeding so you should be just fine. You might even want to mix a little breast milk with the food. If she doesnt seem to be filling up you can add vitamin supplements which is recommended when breast feeding anyways. They have infant vitamin drops you can get just about anywhere.

Answer 5

i gave my daughter solids at 4 months. But i would not add bananas yet, just stick with rice cereal. Her body needs to get used to digesting solids and needs the easiest thing to digest. Bananas may not be appropriate for easy digestion. Watch for signs of tummy upset/cramping. Such as crying, pulling her legs into her stomach and constipation. If she gets any of these thing, stop immediatly because her body may not be ready to digest solids.

Answer 6

semi solids, such as pureed banana and rice are not solids the baby can choke on. Babies eat. It's what they do. They haven't much else to do...well....you know. Keep one end fed and the other end dry.

Answer 7

Yes 4 months is usually when you do start introducing baby foods, what you're feeding her is fine!

Answer 8

I started my babies on baby cereal at about 3 mo. Then moved on to baby food when that didn't satisfy them. They're now healthy adults. I really think it depends on the baby. And no one knows your baby like you do.

Answer 9

MY SON ATE PIZZA AT THREE MONTHS ONCE. THEN I STARTED GIVING HIM ALL KINDS OF PUREES. HE NEVER LIKED THE FRUT ONES SO WE STARTED WITH VEGETABLES AND MEAT PUREES AT AROUND FOUR OR FIVE. YOU CAN'T HARM YOUR BABY. START LITTLE BY LITTLE, SEE HOW SHE FEELS AND REACTS TO THE DIFFERENT FOOD. IF SHE'S OK- THEN GREAT!

Answer 10

I was adviced to start feeding mine at 4mths, only pureed fruit. Maybe you should hear what your paeditrician has to say.